


Rain Girl

by Burgie



Category: Star Stable Online
Genre: F/F, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-10
Updated: 2018-11-10
Packaged: 2019-08-21 19:49:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,804
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16582958
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Burgie/pseuds/Burgie
Summary: In the middle of the night, Ariana really needs a friend. And Lion knows just where to take her. Ariana and Lion belong to inappropriatestarstable on tumblr.





	Rain Girl

Ariana was still tugging her black t-shirt back on over her head as she ran out of the house, ducking her head as a vase of flowers came whizzing towards her. It struck the top of the doorframe, sending shards of white ceramic and water falling onto the ground along with the flowers, but Ariana ignored this, only skidding out through the open door, grabbing her coat and hat from the rack by the door, and into the rain.

"That was quick," said Lion, hiding from the rain under an overhanging branch by the log cabin that Ariana had been in. It wasn't exactly the best shelter, pine-scented water dripping onto Lion's dark bay coat and sliding in rivulets off of his saddle (which Ariana had kept on for just such a quick getaway), but it was better than standing in the rain.

"Wife came home," said Ariana, putting her boot into the stirrup and hauling herself up into the saddle. Lion pinned his ears nervously, especially at the sound of yelling coming from inside the house. Thankfully, Lion knew exactly how to make a quick getaway, his skills honed from both running away from the danger on Jorvik and running away from the other, very real danger of jealous wives.

As the two galloped down the muddy tracks, though, muddy water spraying up in their wake, Ariana didn't feel the gleeful delight that she usually felt upon fleeing the scene of an impending marriage breakdown. Maybe it was the weather, maybe it was the location, or maybe it was just a combination of everything. But instead of the glee, instead of the joy, Ariana just felt... sad. Empty. Dirty, even.

Lion noticed the change, angling his ears back towards his rider and slowing to a canter without her asking for it.

"Ariana?" Lion asked. Ariana sucked in a breath, embarrassed at the way her breath hitched. At the way tears stung her eyes. At least nobody would see them thanks to the rain.

"I just want to go home," Ariana whispered down their bond.

"Come on, let's... get you out of the rain," said Lion, slowing to a trot. When they reached the end of the muddy car track, though, Lion didn't turn right, as Ariana had expected (and asked) him to. Instead, he turned left, headed into the sleepy town of Dundull. A few lights still glowed warmly from windows, and Ariana could see the shapes of a few horses huddled together against the rain. At least they all wore blankets to keep off the worst of the rain.

"Lion, no," said Ariana down their bond when she saw which street Lion had turned up. Lion swished his tail, ignoring her. Ariana tried not to feel the tug of dread as Lion walked into the Varanger's front yard and stopped there.

"Go on," said Lion. "I'll knock their front door down, you know I will."

"Lion, no, I can't," said Ariana, closing her eyes against the tears that wanted to fall.

"I'll buck you off," said Lion.

"Do it, I dare you," said Ariana, clutching his reins tightly in her fists. But... maybe it would be good to have somewhere warm and dry to stay. Maybe Sigry or Rania would even offer her a hot chocolate. And a shower and she'd fret over her and Ariana definitely didn't deserve that.

And yet. She still dismounted, leaving the reins over Lion's saddle. She still walked those few steps across the mud puddle in front of the house, trying to avoid getting her boots muddier than they already were. She ignored the thought that she deserved to be muddy and filthy, to reflect the way she felt inside. Because sometimes, those insults about her being a whore actually sunk in. And they stung, all the same. Especially now, in the middle of the night, with rain pouring down as she stood in front of the house of the one who meant absolutely everything.

"Go on," said Lion, nudging Ariana in the middle of her back with his head. Ariana stumbled forward up the front steps, her raised fist knocking against the wooden door on accident. Well, she'd come this far. Ariana raised her fist again and knocked properly this time, three times. But the lights weren't on inside, so they were all probably in bed. She really hoped that she hadn't actually awoken Rania with her knocking. Rania should get her sleep. Just like she should be sleeping, if she wasn't such a whore, if she didn't earn her money from trading flesh like this, if she wasn't-

The door opened, revealing Rania standing there in fuzzy dark green pyjamas, light from the front room spilling out around her. Immediately, Ariana turned to leave but Lion stopped her, pushing her back towards the doorway.

"Hey, Rania," said Ariana, her voice watery.

"Ariana!" said Rania, surprise and delight mingling in her voice. Ariana almost sobbed to hear it. Rania shouldn't be so happy to get her as a visitor, not when it was for this reason. Rania shouldn't be pulled into her life, caught up in Ariana's drama, taking in a damn whore in the middle of the night.

"Can I come in?" Ariana heard herself asking, as though it were far away, happening to someone else.

"Of course!" said Rania. "Come inside." As she walked past, Ariana felt Rania gently touching her wet clothing, saw her angle her head outside at the sound of Lion shifting his hooves and splashing in the puddle.

But Ariana tried to ignore that, standing in the middle of the Varanger's front room, water dripping onto the polished pale wooden floorboards. She stared at her feet, trembling setting in from both the cold and from how she was feeling.

"I'll ask my mama or the doc to take Lion down to the stable so he can get out of the rain, but you're soaking wet," said Rania, her eyes wide in dismay as she plucked at the sleeves of Ariana's long black coat. Ariana didn't have the heart to make a joke, her heart was too low in her stomach.

"Yeah, sorry," said Ariana. "I just-" Her words were choked off as Rania touched her right hand tenderly.

"You can use our shower, I'll get you some clean, dry clothes," said Rania. She set off, leading the way through the Varanger house to the decent-sized bathroom. Ariana followed, feeling miserable. Rania's kindness was breaking her heart, but she couldn't let it show. She should be enjoying this, really, who didn't want their crush to take them in in the middle of the night? But this was so different. Ariana hadn't just been caught out in the rain, she'd been caught with a married man. And yeah, normally she'd laugh at the inevitable scandal and tease about what a pig that guy was, but... not when it meant that Rania had to see her like this. Dimmed. Filthy.

"Thanks," said Ariana, her voice sounding far more quiet and broken than she wanted it to. She was just tired, really.

Once the bathroom door had closed behind her, Ariana let the tears fall, silently at first. But then, after she twisted the taps to let the hot water pour down from the showerhead, Ariana let the tears out, her breath hitching on a sob as she peeled her clothing off. As each item of clothing fell to the ground with a wet plop, Ariana felt even more in need of a shower. Her skin was freezing, and the idea of standing under hot water suddenly seemed so appealing.

And the water did feel nice as it cascaded down over Ariana's body, warming her even as it cleaned her. But she needed it to be hotter, as hot as she could handle it.

Even after she'd warmed up, the trembling remained, the aching guilt deep inside of her. And Ariana sank down, pulling her folded knees to her chest, rested her forehead on her knees, and sobbed. But it wasn't for the man whose marriage she had probably just helped to ruin. No, honestly, fuck him. It wasn't for the wife, though a part of Ariana did feel bad for her. Instead, she cried for herself, for the things that she missed out on by shutting herself out like this, by doing what she did. And yes, sex was fun sometimes, especially with the magician who'd somehow managed to drive her crazy. That was over now too, though. After she'd almost ruined that relationship. That had been the first time that she'd felt bad, truly bad, for what she'd done. She wouldn't be surprised if Daine never wanted to talk to her again after that.

And now here she was, in the house of the girl she loved most, in the shower no less, and Rania had brought her in from the rain like an absolute saint and had been so nice to her and Ariana felt like she didn't deserve any of this. She certainly didn't deserve Rania, the blind wolf girl who'd stolen her heart without doing anything other than just being her wonderful self. And Ariana wasn't sure if she dared to walk out of the bathroom to where Rania would surely be waiting for her, probably with a hot coca, probably in front of a fireplace. After everything, Ariana didn't deserve any of that. But Rania would give it anyway, because she was just that kind of person.

The water had run cold by the time that Ariana finally got out of the shower. Her mascara had run in tracks down her face, and she couldn't find anything to remove it after a quick rummage around in the white bathroom cabinet. Ariana looked at herself in the mirror, at her skin, pink from the shower, and the mess of her face. She couldn't muster the strength to laugh, but she had to admit that she looked as pathetic as she felt.

Ariana picked up a fluffy white towel from the rack, hoping that she wasn't stealing somebody else's towel, and wrapped it around herself after drying off most of the water from her body and hair. She definitely felt a lot better, both from showering and from crying. She hesitated, though, with her hand on the doorknob. Immediately, she almost laughed at her own foolishness. It wasn't like Rania would see her nudity, and honestly, would Rania really expect her to have put clothes on? It wasn't like there'd been any clothes in here.

But before she could turn the doorknob, there was a knock on the door, and Ariana froze for a moment.

"Ariana? I've got some clothes for you," said Rania through the door.

"Oh, thanks, I'll just-" said Ariana, twisting the doorknob and taking a step back. Rania turned her head away as she handed the clothes through the door, and Ariana actually smiled at how adorable Rania was being. Even though Rania couldn't actually see her nudity, she was still averting her eyes to remain polite. She really was an angel.

And yet somehow, Ariana didn't break down crying at that. No, that only happened once she'd closed the door and changed into the pyjamas. They weren't her usual style, cozy pink winter pyjamas, but Ariana didn't mind in the slightest. They were comfy, and besides, it was a kind gesture. And they'd keep her warm and nobody would be able to see her wearing them. On an impulse, Ariana hugged herself, tears making fresh tracks down her face. But only for a few moments before she dried her eyes with the towel.

"Do they fit?" Rania asked the second Ariana walked out of the steamy bathroom. She had opened the window, at least. A little rain was better than mould growing in the bathroom, she figured.

"Yeah, they fit perfectly," said Ariana, giving her a smile. Not that Rania would be able to see her smile, but she knew that Rania would be able to hear it in her voice.

"Oh, I'm glad," said Rania, and her smile was radiant and did things to Ariana's heart. "Now we can go to bed, unless you'd prefer to stay up and have hot cocoa. My mama won't mind."

"It's late," said Ariana, though the offer of a hot drink was very tempting. But she really just wanted to crawl into a bed or curl up under a blanket on the couch and sleep. "I'll just take the couch."

"What? No, you should have the bed," said Rania. "You can have my bed if you want."

"Hey, I'm not kicking you out of your bed," said Ariana. "I already used all your hot water." And here came the guilt again.

"I insist," said Rania.

"And I insist on you having your bed," said Ariana.

"Okay," said Rania, a mischievous smile on her lips. "My bed's big enough for two."

"Wait, what?" Ariana asked, blindsided. Rania's smile only widened into a grin as she made her way down the hallway to her bedroom. Ariana followed, nervous now.

Rania's bedroom didn't look like a regular teenage girl's bedroom. But then, Rania wasn't exactly a regular teenage girl. Her bedroom floor was a pale grey carpet, strangely clean. But of course it had to be clean, because Rania needed to have everything in the same place to make life easier for her. As Ariana glanced around, she saw wall hangings and posters featuring wolves, along with a few bits and bobs from around Jorvik laid out on chests of drawers. Things like dried flowers, sticks, even some interesting-shaped rocks. And, of course, some old horseshoes that had been cleaned and some even painted with different colours. The rainbow-painted horseshoe above the door made Ariana smile. But then, she saw Rania's four-poster bed and her heart stopped. It looked so cozy, and like Rania had said, it was big enough for two. But Ariana still wasn't sure if she could climb into that bed.

"Don't worry, I don't think I snore," said Rania. "And I don't move around too much in my sleep."

"Heh, yeah, I don't either," said Ariana. Her heart pounded, her tongue feeling thick in her mouth. What was she supposed to say, do, think? God, she was an expert in sex, she could bring men to their knees, and yet here she was, shaking at the very thought of sharing a bed with someone who she should be fine with.

"Well, come on," said Rania, patting the mattress of her bed. Ariana took a deep breath before she switched the bedroom light out and crossed the darkened bedroom, using her phone (which Rania had rescued from her saddlebags) as a torch.

"Are you sure?" Ariana asked as she sat on the edge of the bed. Rania was already moving around, getting underneath the thick, warm covers. Ariana was pretty sure that it wasn't real fur, but the covers still felt wonderfully soft and so warm and she was almost crying again by the time she'd gotten under the covers. Damn, tonight really was a low night for her. The kind of night that she usually would have spent either at Louisa's, drinking tea and enjoying some baked goods, or having a good, long chat to Mom, her North Swedish mare.

"Of course," said Rania, turning her blind gaze towards Ariana. "My mama doesn't mind if I have people sharing my bed. Well, at least, not girls. As she says, it's not like I can get pregnant, and I'm old enough to look after myself."

"You're right," said Ariana with a laugh. But it wasn't a real laugh, which saddened her further. She climbed into bed, though, pulling the warm covers over herself. Rania quickly snuggled closer to her, making Ariana gasp and freeze up. Rania laughed, a musical sound. Ariana thought that she might be falling in love.

"Goodnight, Ariana," said Rania, not quite cuddling Ariana but lying close enough that spooning may or may not happen during the night. Ariana hoped that it would happen, then quietly scolded that thought. She shouldn't be hoping for anything from Rania, not when she wasn't brave enough or good enough for her.

"Night," said Ariana, trying to ignore the warring feelings inside of her. It was like dark clouds trying to blot out the light of her love for Rania, but it was always like this. It was just that now, when she was this close to Rania... now, it was a little harder to ignore.

But Ariana definitely didn't mind when, in the dark of her bedroom, Rania wrapped her arms around her in a tight spooning embrace. That was fine. Maybe it wasn't what she deserved, but maybe... just maybe, it was exactly what she deserved.


End file.
